overcharge

American  

[oh-ver-chahrj, oh-ver-chahrj] / ˌoʊ vərˈtʃɑrdʒ, ˈoʊ vərˌtʃɑrdʒ /

verb (used with object)

overcharged, overcharging

1. to charge (a purchaser) too high a price.

   When the manager realized we'd been overcharged, she gave us a credit for the difference.

2. to fill too full; overload.

3. to exaggerate.

   to overcharge the importance of ancestry.

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verb (used without object)

overcharged, overcharging

1. to make an excessive charge; charge too much for something.

noun

1. a charge in excess of a stated or just price.

2. an act of overcharging.

3. an excessive load.

overcharge British  

verb

1. to charge too much

2. (tr) to fill or load beyond capacity

3. literary another word for exaggerate

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noun

1. an excessive price or charge

2. an excessive load

Other Word Forms

• overcharger noun

Etymology

Origin of overcharge

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; over-, charge

Example Sentences

Both the RAC and the AA said drivers were being overcharged for fuel.

From BBC

“The companies pulled their punches, and one company was left being the sole bidder on the contract and that involved a lot of overcharges to the good people of Texas,” Slater said.

From The Wall Street Journal

C. Meat packers are using “their position as middlemen to overcharge grocery stores and, ultimately, families.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The claimants argued that this meant that consumers had been overcharged for apps, subscriptions to apps, and when buying digital content in apps.

From BBC

Some customers pay their bill as it comes in each month because they do not want their supplier to estimate their usage in case they are overcharged.

From BBC

Related Words

• cheat
• fleece
• overtax